I was not doing good....was not keeping well...had lots of questions in my mind and was very sad...

Didn't have anyone to talk to...never have been a good talker...

Was aimlessly roaming around at a certain shopping mall....with blurred eyes...a heavy heart and an empty head...

...when I came across a certain hoarding of sorts with a lot written on it...

Something stood out from the hoarding

SLOW UP

I literally slowed up and began reading through it..
By the time I came towards the last line...I was crying...oblivious to the fact that I was being stared at...
Why?? Because the questions knocking at the walls of my cranium were being answered...just like that...as if (although I didn't have anyone to talk to) someone was watching over and was listening to me all this while..

The snap below was my 4th attempt at my mobile's camera because I was trembling so...

What the questions and answers were, are beyond the scope of Dear Speechless...

The board was placed outside the TURTLE showroom (hence the title)...

You are fast.So fast that you stop for nothing.You whiz past the world,The Sunsets, Street Musicians, a Monet,Whipped cream cupcakes,New Bookstores, Old friends, Sandpipers on the beach, stand up Comedians and empty highways.Everything is a blur.You are stuck in fast forward.An ultimate rushaholic. Success seekerGoing through his emotions.Racing through life rather than actually living it.And suddenly its all over.

SLOW UP

Break away from the breakneck pace.Uncomplicate. Untie. Unwind.Find time to find yourself.Breathe, don't just inhale. Feel.Don't just touch.Find, don't just look.Live every second, don't just count them.Stand in a rushing stream rather than rush hour traffic. Give a genuine response rather than a quick answer.Seek a real connection rather than a mere plug point.Slow up. Because the earth took billions of years to form.And you took nine months to come to being.

I learnt how to drive way back in 2009 but obviously remembered none of it because we didnt have a car back then.

Ever since Gatum has entered our lives...poor car's control has been taken over by various drivers at different times, the worst of the lot obviously being the blogger.

Location - Howrah
Occasion - My cousin sister's wedding

Gatum was supposed to be driven around and used there at the wedding by some driver that my cousin's folks would arrange. The driver did'nt turn up. They badly needed a replacement and got hold of me as a desperate last (and only) resort. I knew how to work upon the gears (the first and the second gears that is) and the ABC.

The best part was i had fever. They woke me up very early next morning, gave me a cup of tea, two biscuits and a Paracetamol. Then asked me to take a whole lot to the river Ganga for jol-showa.
I was at the wheels, but all of us were driving (if you know what I mean). A truck driver was screamed at for coming from the right side (the correct side I mean). A bus that was backing up was instructed by 4 ladies from the rear of a tiny car to wait while Gatum could pass first, etc.

The distance from the house to the venue was also being covered by the new-found driver. There was a manned crossing near the venue and each time the traffic police saw me closing in, he would stop the entire traffic and allowed me the first passage with a frown at first which later changed to a cordial smile by the end of the evening.

The bride in all her fineries was sitting at the back of the car. The groom had already reached the venue. The pandit was enquiring about the bride, but the poor lady was still sitting at the back seat of Gatum waiting at the railway signal because I could not take her the other way round (a short cut) which would have required me to climb a flyover. What if there was a signal and I had to stop at the incline. Brrrrrrr....
So there we were, waiting for the goods train to pass and get the two souls wedded.

All went well, I still get applauded for that day and that's how I started driving around with Dear Gatum.

I have made mistakes...they have covered up for me...
I have been absconding...they proxied...
I was applauded....they stood right behind and smiled...
I talked (I cannot talk well but)...they patiently listened...
I did not want to talk...they made me sing a song...write a poem..cook up a dish...or just let me hang around...and sometimes made me laugh...

My Angel#1 once told me : God after sending you to earth, realized his blunder which is why he quickly sent me after you to clean up and take care of his mess... :p

My Angel #3 once : Prevented our friendship from geting over and has always been around through thick and thin...She is about to reach a very important milestone in life and my prayers and good wishes are always with her...
What she did at my wedding is unthinkable. She probably substituted for an elder sister that I never had....

None of these people are my relatives...but they are my Angels and I love them...Thank you for being there...

It is beacuse of you guys that I am able to survive the lonely dark times...karon bhalo shomoy e toh shobai thake..